Slacktivism

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The term slacktivism , more rarely clicktivism , German about lazy activism or sofa activism describes a form of activism that is pursued without special effort and without prolonged preoccupation with the object, mostly online.

etymology

The Anglicism Slacktivism is a suitcase word that emerged from the merging of the two English terms "slacker" (Eng. " Idler " or "idiot") and "activism" (Eng. " Activism "). The term is a pejorative and usually meant derogatory.

Content

Examples of a profile picture changed as part of Slacktivism : The pink equal sign and the rainbow flag symbolize support for same-sex marriage , the flag of France and the slogan Je suis Charlie were used in the context of the attack on Charlie Hebdo .

Slacktivism often appears in the context of social networks and similar digital platforms. Users "comfortably" support a cause that has been found to be good via digitally public and visible "click", but without further involvement outside the digital sphere. There are no “real protests”. Critics suggest that such acts have no political or social impact on the real world:

“Slacktivism” is an apt term to describe feel-good online activism that has zero political or social impact. It gives those who participate in “slacktivist” campaigns an illusion of having a meaningful impact on the world without demanding anything more than joining a Facebook group.

“Slacktivism” is a term for feel-good online activism that has zero political or social impact. It creates the illusion of those who take part in “slacktivist” campaigns that they have a significant impact on the world without asking more of the individual than to join a Facebook group. "

- Evgeny Morozov : Foreign Policy : "The brave new world of slacktivism"

The Tagesspiegel writes: "Lounging on the sofa, clicking," Slacktivism "instead of hard, concrete action." The Süddeutsche Zeitung speaks of "a participation for comfortable people (slackers) who have already exhausted themselves with a like-me-click" and the Berliner Zeitung names the synonyms “lazy activism” and “sofa activism”.

"While watching TV," I like "a text about climate protection: It's called clicktivism or slacktivism; the English suitcase words stand for click activism, and slacker activism, lazy activism. You don't have to deal with arguments if you like something quickly, you can give in to a whim, calm your conscience - that's it. "

- Süddeutsche Zeitung : "Why the hashtag doesn't replace the megaphone."

In addition, Slacktivism is often an act of self-expression : so “to a certain extent it is about making an impression in front of friends and acquaintances”.

The opposite of Slacktivism is commitment to "which is about behavior consistent with one's own values ​​and beliefs".

A 2013 study with 1345 participants came to the result that 93.3% of the participants had already carried out an activity categorized as Slacktivism. Like and share posts from non-profit organizations (64.4% and 51.3%, respectively) were the most common, followed by signing online petitions (47.9%). Only 3.3% changed their profile picture at least once a week in favor of a non-profit organization. The study primarily examined the life satisfaction of the participants. She concluded that Slacktivism negatively affected life satisfaction; Subjects who did a lot of slacktivism were less satisfied.

Examples

  • Critics see the creation and signing of online petitions, such as those on the change.org platform, as Slacktivism.
  • After the death of George Floyd , many people posted a completely black picture online as part of a "Black Tuesday". The Süddeutsche Zeitung rated the campaign as an example of slacktivism: “You quickly deal with the concerns of a discriminated population group and shortly afterwards with natural wine and beautiful bowls. In the meantime, however, the protest via smartphone is also actively harmful to the cause for which one supposedly wants to stand up. Because the black picture tiles actually completely covered up important information about the live events of the protests, appeals for donations and other documentation of police violence. "
  • Slacktivism is also called “the weekly change in the Facebook profile picture for a changing political agenda”. For example, the 2013 Human Rights Campaign called for a pink equal sign on a red background to be added to the profile picture to express support for same-sex marriage .
  • Posting and sharing or forwarding chain letters .

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Susanne Lenz: Internet platform change.org: Die Weltveränderer. Berliner Zeitung , April 16, 2013, accessed on June 18, 2020 .
  2. ↑ Martin Lüthe in conversation with Vladimir Balzer: Showing solidarity is not enough. Deutschlandfunk Kultur , June 2, 2020, accessed on June 18, 2020 .
  3. ^ A b Michael Moorstedt: Protesting for the image. Süddeutsche Zeitung , June 9, 2020, accessed on June 18, 2020 .
  4. ^ A b c Leonhard Dobusch: New Studies on Online Slacktivism: Virality versus Sustainability. Netzpolitik.org , March 4, 2014, accessed June 18, 2020 .
  5. ^ Evgeny Morozov : The brave new world of slacktivism. Foreign Policy , May 19, 2009, accessed June 18, 2020 .
  6. ↑ Joachim Huber: Is the rainbow flag solidarity or self-presentation? Tagesspiegel , July 2, 2015, accessed on June 18, 2020 .
  7. ↑ Alexandra Borchardt: Join-in machine for the elite. Süddeutsche Zeitung , June 19, 2014, accessed on June 18, 2020 .
  8. ↑ Jana Anzlinger: Digitaler Protest: Why the hashtag does not replace the megaphone. July 25, 2019, accessed June 18, 2020 .
  9. ↑ Seifert, C., Ohme, J., Helm, K., & Hagen, LM (2014). A Click for the Good Life? Slacktivism on Facebook and Its Impact on Life Satisfaction . Paper presented at the 64th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association, Seattle, United States.
  10. ↑ Malcolm Ohanwe in conversation with Timo Grampes: #BlackOutTuesday How pop culture reacts to the death of George Floyd. Deutschlandfunk Kultur , June 2, 2020, accessed on June 18, 2020 .
  11. ↑ Nadia Pantel: Criticism of the Facebook campaign: Equality makes some more equal. Süddeutsche Zeitung , May 4, 2013, accessed on June 18, 2020 .
  12. ↑ Kritsanarat Khunkham: A red Facebook profile photo for gay marriage. Die Welt , April 1, 2013, accessed June 18, 2020 .